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Show thegreat DEBATE Pacquiao or Mayweather? 'm going to be the first to admit that the amount of credibility I have in this area is not the highest. But BROCK I guess I shouldn't feel too bad, because how many true boxing fans are there out there who consistently follow the sport? But here goes nothing; time to predict the biggest fight since, well — a really, really long time. For years we have been waiting for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to enter the ring together, and though it may feel like it's three years late, at least we are finally getting it. And we will see why it's taken so long, because Mayweather has not wanted to lose his undefeated record, and on Saturday that is exactly what will happen. Ever since this fight was first brought up as a possibility like six years ago, people have analyzed who would win, so rather than specifically looking at each element of Mayweather and Pacquiao's styles and why Pacquiao will be victorious, I'm going to look at this fight from a broader perspective. The most compelling reason I believe Pacquiao will beat Mayweather is simply this: Mayweather isn't just fighting one of the greats in his sport, he's also fighting history. He's fighting for the chance to stay perfect, and that is no easy task. Perfection has various meanings in different sports, and they're all unique and extremely challenging to achieve. One example is a baseball player going for a perfect game. How many times have we seen a pitcher get through 8 2/3 innings only to JENSEN allow a hit that ends the bid for a perfect game and a place in the history books? Or, taking a look at football, who can forget the David Tyree helmet catch in the Super Bowl? The New England Patriots were on the verge of history, and it just wasn't meant to be. In boxing, perfection is simply one's record. Mayweather's fight record of 47-0 speaks for itself. Now, I'm not saying Pacquiao will beat Mayweather simply because of the historical context and implications, but it sure doesn't help Mayweather's case. This fight will be a long one and, if that's the case, the edge goes to Pacquiao because of his relentless aggression. The longer the fight goes, the better Pacquiao's chances of winning. Sure, he will need to withstand the initial onslaught Mayweather is sure to bring, but if he can do that — and he should be able to — then Moneymaker will be looking at his first loss. Mayweather hasn't had to face anyone on par with his talent, and while Pacquiao may be a little past his prime, he still is the closest thing Mayweather will have faced to himself. It's an experience I'm not sure Mayweather is ready for. I could easily see this fight going Mayweather's way, but I think too many people aren't giving Pacquiao a respectful chance. Get ready to be shocked — Moneymaker is going down on Saturday night. b.jensen@chronicle.utah.edu @brockjensen02 I he word "perfection" is thrown around more often than it should these days, but in the old sense of the word, perfection is typically IAN something that is without fault or can't be touched. When thinking of perfection in the sporting world, there's one particular athlete who pops into my head, and that's Floyd Mayweather. The undefeated boxer has faced the best competition in the world, and one by one, has come out victorious by all lengths of margins. Some of his fights have been sure things, and others have come down to the wire. However, one thing remains intact, and that is Mayweather's record: a spotless 47-0. Standing in front of him on May 2 will be Manny Pacquiao, who will be his toughest opponent yet — most are considering this the biggest boxing fight in the past few decades. Pacquiao, 57-5-2, has been alongside Mayweather in the conversation as the top fighters in the world for the last five or six years. He has also fought plenty of big names, and shut them down while doing so. This fight will almost certainly go the distance, as Mayweather isn't much of a knock-out artist, but he will come out victorious over Pacquiao because his strategy for reading boxers is unmatched. If you look back on Mayweather's career, he has a habit of looking ripe for a loss in the opening four rounds or so. Former foes Marcos Maidana, Shane Mosely, Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya all came out swinging against the undefeated champ, and all were eventually slowed down and defeated, just how Mayweather likes it. During those opening rounds, Mayweather is analyzing his opponent by taking their SMITH 6 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015 } m co, -0 > 10 m c -n m m 7:1 L) BY IAN SMITH F /STAFF WRITER eb. 13. That was the last time the Utes won an opening night game in a series. The opponent was Sacramento State, and that win happened to be their very first game of the year. Since that day, the team is 0-10 in the first game of a threegame series, including the Pac-12-Big 12 challenge. While some of the losses have come by large margins, Utah has lost some close ones. Five of the 10 defeats have come by two runs or less, including a 12-inning heartbreaker to Arizona State earlier this month. But sophomore Dallas Carroll doesn't think bad luck is to blame. "I wouldn't say its luck': he said. "I mean, at the same time, I wouldn't say it's the team. I feel like we come out and prepare better than anyone that we play — it's just something that we need to overcome. I don't have an answer for it:' Junior AJ Young also couldn't find an exact answer but did say that guys on the team need to step up early in the series and set the tone for the rest of the way. The Utes will have a few more chances to get this problem turned around as they still have four more series left in the season. Utes try to power on You could feel it on Sunday afternoon during the last game of the Washington State series. Everything was quiet, and the game was so slow for the Utes offensively that something just seemed wrong. Though no one said the team didn't try hard, the morale in the /0 lz c 1— cn m z -n O best punches and staying mobile. While De La Hoya came very close to sending him down for good, Mayweather's speed prevailed as De La Hoya became tired in the later rounds — again, another strategy of the champ. Unlike Mayweather, Pacquiao has tasted defeat, and recently, too. After going more than seven years without a loss from 2005-2011, he suffered back-to-back losses in 2012, which were the only two times Pacquiao fought that year. The second loss, to rival Juan Manuel Marquez, came by a crushing knockout, and many critics believed Pacquiao should consider retirement. Now, after winning his last three fights, he has a newfound energy and, according to the media, looks better than ever. It's just too bad for him that he now has to fight arguably the best boxer in history. While both fighters are in the twilight of their careers, Mayweather still holds the edge over Pacquiao based on his most recent success. Mayweather is coming off of back-to-back victories over Maidana, as well as beating a previously-undefeated Canelo Alvarez. If the fight happened when negotiations first came about back almost five years ago, it might be a different story. Back then, Pacquiao was at his peak, beating his opponents so handily that you were lucky to get past the fourth round. However, it's 2015, and even though Mayweather has shown signs of slowing down, I don't feel he can be caught in the ring. Mayweather has demonstrated that he shows up for the biggest fights in his career, and I expect nothing less from him on May 2. Pacquiao may have bitten off more than he could chew but, with the two best fighters in the world going head to head, I feel it's a win-win for everyone involved — from the viewers to the fighters, themselves. Enjoy the match. i.smith@chronicle.utah.edu @ISmithAtTheU ES STRUGGLER) FIND ARM WIN PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE GONZALEZ Utes fight off emotions The emotional aspect of the season might be apparent after a weekend like the team just had. Washington State was close to the same record as Utah in conference play, and the Utes looked like they had a good chance to make a move upwards. However, the weekend didn't pan out like that, and the team is stuck looking toward next week to try and make another move in the standings. "We definitely felt that the advantage was on our side,"Young said. "We just seriously have to take it one pitch at a time, and we can't look too far ahead or too far behind:" i.smith@chroncle.utah.edu @ISmithAtTheU Utes continue success with string of home runs BY BROCK JENSEN/STAFF WRITER 0 ver the weekend in their three-game series with Arizona State, the Utes recorded seven home runs, capitalizing on high pitches to send the ball deep on a number of occasions. The long ball played a major part in the success of the Ute offense. Utah scored 16 runs in the three games, and 10 of those came as a result of home runs. It was a very welcome change for the Utes, as they came into the series last in the conference in home runs per game, but that stat will look a little different for the Utes after last weekend. "It was awesome to get that many home runs because that's not really our game necessarily," said centerfielder Kate Dickman. "They just come when you do the right things in the batter's box:' Arguably more impressive than scoring half of its runs by homers is the number of players who contributed to that total. Most teams boast one or two power hitters who consistently bomb softballs to the outfield, but for the Utes last weekend, the entire lineup appeared to be those power hitters. Six Utes tallied home runs — Dickman, Hannah Flippen, Bridget Castro, Bella Secaira, Anissa Urtez and Maddy Woodard. Dickman got two in the series, and Secaira recorded her first of the season. "I just remembered the at-bat I had before. I got a little under the pitch that the Arizona State pitcher gave me:' Secaira said. "I was sitting there waiting for it. It felt good when I hit it, and it just flew:' --PHOTO•BY DEWALT POWER TOOLS FIGHT NIGHT CLUB dugout was not where it needed to be. "I don't know if it was the weather ... but we were definitely down','Young said. "[We were] trying to keep teammates up and stuff like that, but [there was] just no energy." It was cold and slightly wet from the rain showers that came and went over the weekend — far from a perfect day to play baseball. Young said he was surprised at the amount of energy the team had coming into their Sunday game after the Utes' victory on Saturday, especially since the weather was similar. Energy and togetherness are breeding success Talk to any of the Utah players, and it won't take long to see the closeness among the team. Between the necessary on-field requirements and the emphasis they put on all facets of the game, these Utes are used to getting things done with their teammates by their side. It's clear that Utah's cohesiveness is an ingredient to its success. "Everything we're doing is all together,' Secaira said. "We have become a solid unit, and we're all just one right now:' Having just come off another conference series win, the Utes are clearly doing something right, and a lot of it has to do with the energy from the players on and off of the field. "The energy in the dugout is a key concept for us:' Secaira said. "We react to things with positive energy, and we believe in the system:" Ranked teams? No problem After facing a handful of the better teams in the country, Utah has made a strong case for itself as a top team in the Pac-12. With series wins over top-25 teams like Cal, Arizona and Arizona State, the Utes have shown that they fear no team. Additionally, Utah is also making a strong case for itself as a postseason contender and a chance to finish third in the conference — a feat that would not have looked so plausible a few months ago. After beating the Sun Devils, the Utes are now ranked 27th in the national RPI rankings and continue to be hard to ignore. bjensen@chronicle.utah.edu @brockjensen02 7 |